It's a strange season, Epiphany. Where most of the church calendar is made up of seasons celebrating one event or theme--sacrifice at Lent; waiting at Advent; resurrection at Easter--Epiphany is a sort of grab-bag season. The arrival of the Magi? We'll celebrate that! Christ's baptism? That, too! Oh, and his first miracle at Cana--can't forget about that one! Epiphany mingles with the season of Christmas, marking the incarnation. It is a jumbled time--a bit hectic, a realization that our anticipation has been fulfilled in the coming of Christ and that it is time to get on with the stuff of life.

One of the best things about this time of year is the lengthening of the days. Each day after December 21st (the Winter Solstice) gets longer and longer, the light coming a bit earlier in the morning and staying later into the evening. With the actual light, we see the goodness of the one who said "I am the light of the world," the son of God whose presence on earth continues to be wonderful news for all of us.

When the Magi visited Jesus after his birth, they followed a star until they stopped at the place where Mary and Joseph were. They "knelt down and paid him homage," Matthew tells us. The Magi followed the light in the darkness to get to their true king, and God is still leading us with his light now. The light that Jesus offered is the light that cannot be put out by the darkness, but the darkness can feel so often like our natural human state. We prefer to live in darkness at times because we are afraid of what truths the light will shine on, what ugly spirit or selfish greed or lustful thought will be found out.

But this light is not the burning kind. When we approach the light of God, we will not be burned or turned away. We may be afraid, but we only need remember that God is with us to loosen the chains of fear. As Augustine wrote, "So also, now that the Divine epiphany of the Word of God has taken place, the darkness of idols prevails no more, and all parts of the world in every direction are enlightened by His teaching."

So in this time, let's spend a minute or two each day looking at the light. In the morning, we can savor the extra moments of sun; in the evening, we can see the colors of the sky before they fade to black. And we can live with the goodness of God written on our hearts in freedom from fear.